Wishful Thinking
by Lady Timelord
Summary: “Just thinking… maybe wishes can come true.”  Extreme spoilers for the book ‘The Stone Rose’.  Set somewhere during Season 4. 10 and Donna. And Rose.


Wishful Thinking.

Summary: _"Just thinking… maybe wishes can come true." _

A/N: 10Rose Reunion. Very very VERY big spoilers for 'The Stone Rose' book. This is what you get when you listen to the Stone Rose audio book almost every night. Hah.Came up with this at about 3 this morning (I blame my friend for keeping me up so late...) which sorta explains why it's not overly long. But never mind?

Set during season 4 with Donna as the companion, makes a change from Martha.

Usual disclaimers apply, and Raxacoricofallapatorious beta'd for me :)

_Yay I beta'd and this is FAB. F. A. B, I don't know why I never thought of it, but it just goes to show what a legend Lady T is...so...you know the drill, review please – Raxacoricofallapatorious xx _

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"Doctor?" Donna asked as she wandered around the console, "Can we go to Ancient Rome?"

"We can… but why the sudden interest?" he said, jumping up from the Captain's Chair to press a few buttons on the console, his brown eyes sparkling as he smiled.

"I dunno… just thought… could be good?" she trailed off somewhat lamely.

"Fair enough. Ancient Rome it is. Any particular year, or shall I pick?"

"Erm… I dunno, is 120 AD about right? Don't want you to pick, might end up somewhere else, on Mars or some planet with an unpronounceable name."

"Like Raxacoricofallapatorious? Wait.. Oi!" he exclaimed on his realisation of her mild insult. Donna just grinned.

"Wait, Raxacorico-what?" The Doctor smiled reminiscently at this, remembering how Rose had trouble saying it originally.

"Raxacoricofallapatorious. But never mind that, I thought you wanted Rome in AD 120!"

"Yeah! I'll go get changed," and she dashed from the console room.

Before the Doctor left to get changed himself, he paused at the soft beeping coming from the console. The TARDIS set the coordinates for AD 120, Rome. And she'd set them for the Quinquatrus.

"But… Rose'll be there. And I will be! We can't be here!"

'_Then be careful. Or is that just __**wishful**__ thinking on my part?'_ The TARDIS said in his head, accentuating the word _wishful._

"Can't you change the date?" but the TARDIS remained silent, so he stalked off to get changed.

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Twenty minutes later, Donna was stood outside the TARDIS in a dark sweeping dress, with the Doctor stood beside her in the same tunic he'd worn before, with his sonic screwdriver safely tucked into the pouch Rose had made him.

"Come on then!" The Doctor exclaimed, dragging Donna away.

And so they did the touristy thing. The Doctor explaining about Trajan's Column at 100 miles an hour, and gave Donna the full tour. They reached a small temple, what seemed to be a shrine of Fortuna, and the Doctor suddenly grabbed Donna's hand, and pulled her behind a nearby statue, indicating for her to be quiet – something she'd recently learnt to do. He'd seem someone familiar. There, heading into the temple with a handful of guards with him was Lucius Aelius Rufus, which meant, if he was right, the old him would be dragged out in a minute or two and taken to the jail. He shuddered slightly at the memory of being in the Amphitheatre with all those animals.

There was commotion at the doorway, and the Doctor heard the old him shout "This is no way to behave in a temple!" as he was dragged out. Donna's eyes widened in shock and confusion as she saw him being dragged away in front of her eyes, despite the fact he was stood right next to her.

"What?!" She almost shouted.

"Shh!" the Doctor indicated as the old him was dragged past. "I was here before, a few years ago now. I guess me being careful was the TARDIS's wishful think- wait. Wishful. OH! Oh my beautiful, clever, wonderful ship! Donna, stay here, I'll be back in a second!" and he dashed towards the temple as he saw his old friend Gracilis leave, and left Donna behind the statue, feeling more than confused.

The Doctor entered the temple cautiously but quickly, knowing that the old him and Rose were about to leave with the GENIE.

The GENIE.

Oh the TARDIS was clever. Bringing them to this date, and _**wishful**_ thinking. Never the subtle one his TARDIS, much like this regeneration, he mused.

He rushed over to the statue of Fortuna, he knew Rose had just been hiding behind. If he concentrated, he could smell the faint smell of her perfume, and smiled fondly at the memory of the way she smelt, the way she felt. But he bought himself out of his musings with a quick start, realising time was running short. Once again, the Lord of Time was running out of it.

"I wish I could find a way to get Rose back." He said aloud, hoping against hope the GENIE was still close, like it was when Rose had wished that Gracilis picked up the phial of 'miracle cure'. Still, he'd find out soon.

Perhaps.

The Doctor wandered out of the temple, with a thoughtful expression on his face. He walked over to Donna who was sitting on a low wall near the temple.

"Let's go back to the TARDIS," he said simply, and they walked back through the Roman Streets in silence, Donna realising that he was thinking, and didn't want to talk.

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Months later the Doctor lay in bed with Rose curled up beside him, her head rested on his chest, her fingers idly playing with the soft smattering of hair on his bare chest. He smiled to himself and pressed a kiss to Rose's forehead, inhaling deeply, detecting that same perfume he'd smelt back in the temple mixing with the smell of her shampoo and that thing that was just _Rose._

"Doctor?" Rose asked, tilting her head up to look at him. "What's up?"

"What? Oh nothing. Just thinking," he replied smiling down at her, running his fingers up and down her bare arm. She raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"Just thinking… maybe wishes can come true," and he smiled softly as he placed a sweet kiss to her lips.


End file.
